Sassanian PalacesBefore the rise of Islam much of the Middle East was ruled by the Sasanians (A.D. 224-651), a dynasty named after Sasan, an ancestor of its founder, Ardashir I. From their homeland in southwestern Iran these kings relentlessly extended their sphere of influence until by the early seventh century they controlled an empire that stretched from Armenia to India and from Central Asia to Egypt and the littoral of the Arabian peninsula.

Water as the Origin of Beauty in Persian GardenDating back to several thousand years ago, the Iranian garden is the outcome of the culture and thought of Iranians and has definite links with the ritual and religious beliefs of the country both before and after the emergence of Islam. Iranian garden is composed of almost static artificial and natural elements including fruitful and decorative plants, palace, stream, pool, fountain, terraces, and encircling wall and street.

Eight Thousand Years of History in Fars Province, IranPars province is quintessentially Persian. Its K name is the modern version of ancient Parsa, the homeland, if not the place of origin of the Persians, one of the great powers of antiquity. From here, the Persian Empire ruled much of Western and Central Asia, receiving ambassadors and messengers at Persepolis. It was here that the Persian kings were buried, both in the mountain behind Persepolis and in the rock face of nearby Naqsh-e Rustam.

From Gastronomy Tourism to Creative and Sustainable Tourism of GastronomyTourism and gastronomy together are as old as tourism and gastronomy. Nowadays the systems of these twins are so developed that they can secure social and economic prosperity and well-being of societies and control environmental hazards by focusing on creativity, local and indigenous art and culture. Such sustainable development depends on innovation and the adoption of innovative approaches in solving civil problems. Although the street food seems to be only a place for slow and strolling tourism at first glance, if the managers and urban planners can support and reinforce the creative and related industries in the creative tourist paradigm, one can hope that the larger local community will find better livability and better prosperity.

The similarities between Persepolis of Achaemenid and Isfahan of the Safavid eraThe Persepolis building built around 520 BC by the order of Darius the Great (486-522 BC), one of the greatest and most powerful historical and national figures in Iran, and his descendants added huge buildings to each of them. Some parts of this exquisite monument have resisted for 2,500 years in the face of natural disasters, human injuries, and atrocities. The city of Isfahan in the Safavid era began by the order of Shah Abbas Kabir (1750-1050), one of the greatest and most powerful historical and national figures of Iran. Also, After him, prestigious buildings were added to this city.

AnahitaAncient Iranians venerated four sacred substances - water, soil, wind, and fire - and believed that each one of these had a patron god or goddess. Anahita was the ancient Iranian goddess of fertility, abundance, marriage, and motherhood. Sometimes she was also regarded as a patroness of royalty, victory, love, and beauty.

Persian LiteraturePersian literature has a number of noteworthy characteristics, the most striking of which is the exceptional prominence of poetry. Until quite recently, prose works were confined mostly to sciences, and poetry formed the chief outlet for artistic expression. Classical Persian literature was produced almost entirely under royal patronage, hence the frequency of panegyric verse. An influence of at least equal strength was religion, in particular Sufism, which inspired the remarkably high proportion of mystical poetry.

Religious Institutions in IranThe mosque (masjid in Arabic and Persian, literally “a place of prostration") is the most important religious institution in Iran. Larger congregational mosques (Masjed Jame) are intended for Friday prayers. The first mosque was copied from the house of the Prophet Mohammad at Medina and had a very simple and austere design. This mosque was an enclosure surrounded by mud-brick walls.

Evolution of carpet weaving in KashanKashan is located in the western part of the Lut Desert, at 258 kilometers from Tehran. This city had been in the caravans route between two cities, Qom and Isfahan, since ancient days. The people of this area in addition to agriculture do making handicrafts, knitting brocade, and weaving carpet.

Holidays Iranian New Year or NowruzThe Iranian New Year starts on March 21 or the first day of Farvardin - (the first day of spring) with great pomp and festival. The festival begins with the change of the year and continues for several days. From ancient times since during the New Year the people get rid of the hardships of cold winter and the year starts with mild spring and birth of nature the people celebrate the event on a national level.

As Christians around the world are going to make celebrate a great New Year, also, Iranians are preparing themselves for a magnificent celebration on the longest night of the year. They celebrate the longest night and also the arrival of winter on the Yalda night on 21 Sep. This is the announcement of arriving in the winter with snow and icy weather.

CYRUS THE GREATby: David Stronach539 BC – Cyrus the Great (founder of Persian Empire) entered the capital of Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to their land.By the time of his death in 530 B.C. Cyrus, the Great had changed the face of the civilized world. A mere vassal at the beginning of his reign, his warlike feats served to create a new vision of empire, bringing all that was known of Asia, from the distant waters of the Yaxartes to the warm shores of the Mediterranean, within the bounds of one realm, while more important still, his judicious treatment of the many separate peoples under his rule almost certainly brought into being a new, more benevolent concept of human government.

Kashmar CarpetIntroducing the carpet areaT. toorajzhuleh about Kashmar carpets writes begin on the new carpet in the years before 1300 AD. Been returned. Although some of the interpretations and traditions can not be a witness and documentary evidence presented, due to collect, the ambiguity can be partly uncovered. ered. Weaving and knitting at the beginning of Kashmar, in the 1260 to 1280 AD. Methods will be explored.

ReligionFrom ancient times up to now the following religions have been practiced in Iran: Paganism period, Mithraism (Mitra worshipping) period, Zoroastrian period and Islamic period. Besides the above several other faiths were followed by small minorities such as the followers of Mazdak and Mani and Christianity before the birth of Islam.

Iranian cuisineIranian food contains the most perfect ingredients in the world. Iranian stews and soups show that the Iranian women have exact information about food ingredients and how to combine them to produce the most nutritious effect and flavor. Cereals, vegetables, and herbal and animal proteins exist in nearly all Iranian foods. One of the privileges of Iranian cuisine is an effort to cook the most delicious food. All cultures look at food as a means to respond to human physical needs and to make people enjoy it, but the importance of Iranian food (or countries with warmer climate) lies in the fact that their dishes are more diverse and palatable.